Everton manager confirms ‘final offer’ has been rejected for Manchester United target Baines

Martinez did not reveal the club but says only one has made a bid and it was not good enough.

New Everton manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that the club rejected a bid for Manchester United target Leighton Baines and that it was a ‘final offer’.

Although Martinez didn’t give the Red Devils by name, it’s widely believed that new United boss David Moyes wants to bring former player Baines to Old Trafford and the man in charge of the Toffees specified that only one club have shown interest in the left-back.

“Before we went to Austria one club officially contacted ourselves with an offer and it was a final offer,” the Spaniard told the Liverpool Echo.

“They put something over and the valuation wasn’t anywhere near the quality of Leighton Baines. That was the end of it but since then there’s been all the speculation, which has been part of what the transfer window is.

“There’s never been another club or anyone else putting in an offer for Leighton. Since then we’ve moved on and we’re continuing to focus on the start of the season.”

The comments from the 40-year-old suggest that Baines will not be leaving Goodison Park this summer, which will only serve as good news for fans of the club as the 28-year-old is arguably their best player.

However, if Moyes decides that the Scot does want the full-back as part of the setup at the Premier League champions, there’s every chance United will be in a position to meet Everton’s valuation.

Along with Marouane Fellaini, the future of Baines has dominated the headlines and the thoughts of Toffees fans on Merseyside for several weeks and both the club and manager will be pleased to see deadline day come and go as quickly as possible.